Cosmetic Dentistry is more than a Pretty Smile

By Dr. Lucia Roca

Cosmetic dentistry, also known as esthetic dentistry, is the method of dentistry that improves a patient’s smile and self-image. Having a beautiful smile and strong teeth are essential for aesthetics and overall health. An attractive smile, or lack thereof, affects your oral health. Self-confidence and how the world perceives you on the outside are important to our mental health. This is because a person’s smile is usually the first feature anyone notices.

Esthetic procedures include dental veneers and teeth whitening. Dental crowns, dental bonding, dental implants, inlays and onlays, and dentures are all restorative dental treatments. Dental veneers are the most requested treatment because they can correct tooth discoloration, teeth crowding, and teeth gaps.

Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are a popular method of correcting tooth imperfections such as misalignment, gaps, stains, and minor chipping. Made of a strong porcelain material designed for long-term wear, they can also reshape teeth and create beautifully symmetrical smiles that look and feel natural. Properly cared for, porcelain veneers can last for decades.

Teeth Whitening
Professional teeth whitening is a safe, effective, non-invasive, and long-lasting cosmetic option. With laser teeth whitening, you can see results in one treatment here in our Laurel Manor Dental office. Another option is to whiten your teeth at home. Your custom home whitening kit includes specialized trays that will be customized to fit over your teeth. We provide professional-grade whitening gel to insert into your tray before wearing it. Your dentist will tell you how long to wear the tray each day, and you will have a bright white smile within two to four weeks.

Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are caps placed on top of damaged teeth. Crowns are used to protect, cover, and restore the shape of your teeth when fillings don’t solve the problem. Dental crowns can be made from metals, porcelain, resin, and ceramics. They typically don’t require special care over time other than regular good oral hygiene. As we age, our teeth can get damaged. This can happen for a variety of reasons, like tooth decay, injuries, or just regular use. Your teeth can lose their shape or size. Think of the cap as a snug hat for your tooth. The crown restores the tooth’s shape, size, strength, and appearance. The dental crown is cemented into place on your tooth, and it covers the visible portion of the tooth.

Dental Bonding
Dental bonding, sometimes called composite bonding or teeth bonding, is a procedure where your dentist applies tooth-colored resin material to the affected teeth to change their shape, size, or color. Dental bonding is less painful than other treatments because your dentist won’t be working anywhere close to the pain-sensing nerve inside your tooth. In most cases, anesthesia isn’t even necessary during dental bonding. Dental bonding is the most cost-effective and fastest fix of cosmetic imperfections. However, dental bonding isn’t as stain resistant as porcelain crowns or veneers and can chip and crack over time with normal wear and tear.

Dental Implants
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that provide a permanent base for fixed, replacement teeth. Implants are a long-term solution for people who suffer from missing teeth, failing teeth, or chronic dental problems. Implants can be one tooth or a group of teeth depending on need. Because they fit, function, and feel like natural teeth, dental implants are the gold standard in tooth replacement. Doctors use a titanium anchor screw that over time, fuses to the living bone cells of the jaw. This union forms a strong and durable anchor for your new teeth, meaning there’s no slippage movement. This makes implants more secure than dentures. Eating with dental implants is also more secure and sanitary than dentures because they are not removable.

Inlays and Onlays
Inlays and onlays are indirect dental restorations. They are made outside of your mouth in a laboratory. An inlay or onlay is typically used when a cavity is too large for a simple filling. Inlays and onlays can be made of gold, composite, or ceramic materials. Inlays and onlays are more resistant to fractures and damage than traditional cavity fillings, stain-resistant and durable.

Dentures
Dentures are an affordable tooth replacement option for those who are not a good candidate for implants. Dentures provide facial support, improved nutrition, and improved confidence. Dentures can be a full set or a partial that replaces a group of teeth generally from an injury. Some dentures are designed to improve a person’s bite, eliminating headaches, jaw pain, and other TMJ symptoms. The bases of most removable dentures today are made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and the teeth themselves can be made of PMMA or ceramic material like that used for porcelain veneers.

Why Choose Laurel Manor Dental?
In addition to our experienced and caring team, we feel that our advanced technology makes Laurel Manor Dental the top choice for your dental needs. We carefully choose the latest dental tech and tools to increase patient comfort and expand our ability to provide advanced dentistry to our patients.

In our practice, we utilize the following technology:
• iTero Scanner — The iTero Scanner is a small handheld device that allows us to capture a full 3D image of your teeth and gums. The sharp images mean we can get a better picture of any issues and track any changes in your oral health with a detailed view.
• Digital Impressions — No more gooey impressions! Digital impressions also provide more detailed information and a speedier turnaround time in the creation of restorations.
• Digital X-rays — Digital radiographs reduce the patient’s exposure to radiation while giving the dental team sharper, clearer images that are produced almost instantaneously.
• Cone Beam 3D Imaging — Using cone beam technology, we can map underlying bone structure, nerve pathways, and soft tissue for more detailed treatment planning.
• Intraoral Camera — The intraoral camera puts you in the driver’s seat. You can see exactly what the doctor sees, allowing the doctor to explain your treatment plan tooth by tooth.

About Dr. Roca
Making people smile runs in Dr. Lucia Roca’s family: both of her parents are dentists. While she acquired her expertise through years of exhaustive training, her ability to connect with her patients comes naturally. And she is always happy to reassure them in English, Spanish, or Italian!

After receiving her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, Dr. Roca spent an additional three years studying at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. She was then accepted into the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Rutgers where she performed clinical research, completed her periodontics residency, and earned her Masters of Dental Science degree.

As a member of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Periodontology, Dr. Roca has worked tirelessly to help bring dental care to those in need from the city streets of Newark, NJ to the rural villages of Guatemala. A dedicated professional, Dr. Roca still makes time outside the office to read and play tennis. She is an avid fan of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team and she is recently married to a dentist!

Laurel Manor Dental
352.308.1424
www.laurelmanordental.com
1950 Laurel Manor Drive, Suite 180B
The Villages, Florida 32162